Twins die from rare heart condition - 12 years apart

Last updated at 18:49 12 September 2006

Twin brothers have died from the same rare heart condition in almost identical circumstances 12 years apart, their mother has confirmed.

Angela Lightwood, from Kings Bromley, Staffordshire, spoke of her disbelief and devastation at the death of her 27-year-old son Richard who collapsed while bowling for a local cricket team on Saturday.

His twin, Andrew, died while batting for a junior side in 1994 at the age of 14. The cause of death was given as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Both siblings are thought to have collapsed at 1.20pm and were declared dead on the pitch.

Mrs Lightwood confirmed today that a post-mortem examination had revealed Richard died from the same heart condition.

The mother-of-three, who has a 28-year-old daughter, Nicola, told The Press Association: "We have just had the post-mortem results. It's exactly the same thing as Andrew died from. The coroner phoned me to say it is the same cause of death, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy."

Asked to describe her feelings, Mrs Lightwood said: "It is total disbelief. You can't believe what's going on, you keep hoping it's a dream, that you're going to wake up from this nightmare.

"It shouldn't happen once, yet alone twice."

Tests carried out on Richard following his sibling's death revealed he also suffered from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and he was put under the care of a specialist in London.

Mrs Lightwood said: "Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy takes several forms. It can make you ill, make you short of breath and the like, or - in extreme cases like what happened to my boys, it can switch you off.

"The doctors say death is absolutely instantaneous. It is an electrical impulse that doesn't get through.

"But it is very rare for anyone to die from it. It normally makes you ill."

Mrs Lightwood said she had been told there was a one in 14 million chance of Andrew dying from the condition.

"We have lived with the possibility of Richard dying for 12 years but lightning doesn't normally strike twice, does it?" she added.

Richard was a qualified fitness instructor who completed the Great North Run two years ago and was a keen sailor.

Mrs Lightwood said: "He was a fit, lovely, warm and caring man. He didn't really want to go for the tests after Andrew died.

"He used to say, 'I'm not going to become an invalid. If I've got it, they're not going to stop me doing my sports. If I've got it like Andrew did, then so be it'."

Mrs Lightwood said Richard, who was training to become an electrician and lived with his girlfriend in Rugeley, Staffordshire, would be buried alongside with his brother in Kings Bromley.

This latest tragedy happened the same day that former professional footballer Matthew Gadsby, also 27, died after collapsing on the pitch while playing for Hinckley United in a match away at Harrogate Town.